Highly microporous carbons and process of manufacture

ABSTRACT

A process for further chemical activation of activated carbon is disclosed comprising activation of an active carbon precursor material with a potassium hydroxide solution, pre-drying the blend to 5% to 15% moisture content, activating this blend at from about 650° to about 1100° C., and acid washing and drying the microporous activated carbon product, which is characterized by greater than 50% of its total pore volume comprising pores of from about 8Å to 20Å in width and greater than 70% of its total pore volume comprising pores of less than 20Å in width and greater than 95% of its total pore volume comprising pores of less than 50Å in width.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 08/143,551, filed Oct. 25, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,056.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to the improved production ofactivated carbon. More particularly, it is directed to the production ofhighly microporous activated carbon. Specifically, the present inventionis directed to the production of highly microporous activated carbonfrom an activated carbon precursor by a subsequent chemical activationprocess employing potassium hydroxide. One use of such activated carbonis in the adsorption of gaseous hydrocarbon fuels, including naturalgas.

(2) Description of the Prior Art

Practical storage of gaseous hydrocarbon fuels, such as natural gaswhich is comprised primarily of methane, for such uses as a vehicle fueland the like involves portable containerization of the gas. Natural gas,in particular, is a leading contender for use as an alternative fuel forautomobiles, particularly in areas designated as "zero emission" zonesunder the 1990 Clean Air Act. The majority of natural gas vehiclesoperating in the United States use compressed natural gas at pressuresof up to 3600 psi. However, low pressure storage systems are beingdeveloped in which natural gas is contained in storage containers packedwith adsorbent material to achieve near-liquid methane density. Thestorage containers may be formable or nonformable tanks, cylinders, orother closed vessels. Economic evaluations by the natural gas industryindicate that adsorbed natural gas (ANG) would be comparableeconomically with compressed natural gas (CNG) at a deliverable gascapacity of 150 volumes of gas per container (cylinder) volume (v/v) ata storage pressure of 500 psi (measured at 25° C.).

Natural gas, which is primarily methane, is adsorbed in pores and onsurfaces of the adsorbent medium. Under such conditions, the adsorbedgas assumes properties not unlike those of its liquid state. Typicaladsorbents are solids with pores and fissures throughout theirstructure. Methane molecules preferentially adsorb in pores having adiameter of about 10-15 Angstroms (Å). The carbon material of thepresent invention may also be suitable for storage of other gases of asimilar molecular size.

Active carbon long has been used for removal of impurities and recoveryof useful substances from liquids and gases because of its highadsorptive capacity. Generally, "activation" refers to any of thevarious processes by which the pore structure is enhanced. Typicalcommercial activated carbon products exhibit a surface area (as measuredby nitrogen adsorption as used in the B.E.T. model) of at least 300 m²/g. For the purposes of this disclosure, the terms "active carbon" and"activated carbon" are used interchangeably. Typical activationprocesses involve treatment of carbon sources--such as resin wastes,coal, coal coke, petroleum coke, lignites, polymeric materials, andlignocellulosic materials including pulp and paper, residues from pulpproduction, wood (like wood chips, sawdust, and wood flour), nut shell(like almond shell and coconut shell), kernel, and fruit pits (likeolive and cherry stones)--either thermally (with an oxidizing gas) orchemically (usually with phosphoric acid or metal salts). Such activatedcarbons maintain the original macrostructure of the starting materialand, therefore, a similar pore distribution of micropores of less than20Å in width, mesopores of 20Å (divided between small mesopores of 20Åto less than 50Å in width and large mesopores of 50Å to 500Å in width),and macropores of greater than 500Å in width.

As the surface area of an active carbon is directly proportional to thecarbon's microporosity and since the methane adsorption capacity of anactive carbon is enhanced by increasing its volume of micropores (lessthan 20Å in width) and small mesopores (20-50Å in width), as apercentage of total pore volume, activation methods are sought which arepore size specific. In particular, micropores in the range of from above8Å to about 20Å are suitable for adsorption of methane. Moreparticularly, pore sizes of from about 10Å to about 20Å in width arepreferred for methane adsorption. Most preferred are pore sizes of fromabout 10Å to about 15Å. Therefore, carbon materials are desirable whichare comprised of a high volume (e.g., greater than 50%) of pores lessthan 16Å in width as a percentage of total pore volume. Such materialswhich are comprised of a higher volume (e.g., greater than 80%) of poresless than 20Å in width as a percentage of total pore volume also aredesirable. Also desirable are such materials comprised of an extremelyhigh volume (e.g., greater than 95%) of pores less than 50Å in width asa percentage of total pore volume.

Citing disclosures of potassium hydroxide (KOH) activation of coal inU.S. Pat. Nos. 3,764,561 and 4,082,694, the patentees of U.S. Pat. No.4,769,359 teach the production of active carbon which enables highadsorption of gases per unit volume by treating coal with a liquidmixture comprising KOH and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and subsequentlycarbonizing at 500°-800° C. A method of producing activated carbon witha large surface area and a low sulfur content also is taught in U.S.Pat. No. 5,064,805 by mixing coconut shell char with melted potassiumhydroxide hydrate at a temperature sufficiently high to causeactivation. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,694 teaches solid KOH activationof specific carbonaceous feeds including coal, coal coke, and petroleumcoke to produce cage-like microporous structures particularly useful forwater purification.

Chemical activation of wood-based carbon with phosphoric acid (H₃ PO₄)is disclosed in US. Pat. No. Re. 31,093 to improve the carbon'sdecolorizing and gas adsorbing abilities. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,286teaches phosphoric acid activation of wood-based material which isparticularly dense and which contains a relatively high (30%) lignincontent, such as nut shell, fruit stone, and kernel. Zinc chloride(ZnCl₂) also is a common chemical activation agent. Phosphoric acidactivation of lignocellulose material also is taught in U.S. Pat. No.5,204,310 as a step in preparing carbons of high activity and highdensity.

Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,359 teaches producing active carbon bytreating coal cokes and chars, brown coals or lignites with a mixture ofNaOH and KOH and heating to at least 500° C. in and inert atmosphere.U.S Pat. No.5,102,855 discloses making high surface area activatedcarbon by treating newspapers and cotton linters with phosphoric acid orammonium phosphate. Coal-type pitch is used as a precursor to prepareactive carbon by treating with NaOH and/or KOH in U.S. Pat. No.5,143,889. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,706 teaches storing natural gasunder pressures of 1400 to 4500 kPa using a carbon sieve adsorbent madeby impregnating a polymer precursor of the carbon molecular sieve withadditional monomers and polymerizing the monomers before carbonizing theprecursor.

None of these activated carbons, however, achieve the desired objectiveof providing 150 v/v of deliverable gas capacity at 500 psi. Such acarbon is taught, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/143,551, (U.S.Pat. No. 5,416,056) to be produced by a two-step chemical activationprocess. A lignocellulosic material was first activated with phosphoricacid and then activated with potassium hydroxide under thermalconditions. While permitting small scale, laboratory production of thedesired carbon material, the disclosed process has several disadvantageswhich preclude commercial production to avail the product to public use.The large volume of wet carbon material, upon blending with activatingagent solution, presents material handling problems. Also, the batchnature of the process, combined with the requirement of a relativelylong duration of thermal treatment with gradual incremental temperatureincreases, precludes efficient, economical production rates. Inaddition, it was discovered that the disclosed process leaves residualpotassium which, along with calcium adsorbed from the wash water,adversely impacted the highly microporous carbon's performance.

Therefore, the objective of this invention is to provide an improvedprocess for manufacturing a highly microporous activated carbon capableof meeting the industry target for a deliverable capacity of a gaseoushydrocarbon fuel stored on activated carbon. It is also an objective ofthis invention to provide a highly microporous active carbon materialthat is specific for storage of methane in natural gas to provide adeliverable capacity of 150 v/v of the methane at 500 psi (at 25° C.).It is a further objective of this invention to provide a method forstoring natural gas at low pressure using the highly microporousactivated carbon.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objectives of this invention are accomplished by an improved processwhereby highly microporous activated carbon products are produced byactivation of an already activated carbon with KOH. The KOH activationcomprises blending the active carbon material with a potassium hydroxidesolution, pre-drying to reduce the blend to below about 25% moisturecontent, activating this blend at from about 650° to about 1100° C., andacid washing and drying the microporous activated carbon. The microporevolume and pore size distribution of the activated carbon so obtainedare such that the products are useful for adsorbed natural gas storage.Additionally, the adsorption properties of the activated carbonaccording to the present invention permit its use in applications suchas fractionation of hydrocarbons, purification of industrial gases,anti-pollution devices, liquid-phase purification processes in food andchemical industries, water treatment, liquid-phase recovery andseparation, catalysts or catalyst supports, batteries, analysis, andmedicinal uses, among others.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Phosphoric acid is a popular chemical activation/carbonization agent,but at temperatures above about 300° C. polymerization of the acidcreates wide pores that are not useful for methane adsorption. Otherchemical activation agents, such as zinc chloride, do not produce poresof the size particularly favorable for methane adsorption. It is knownfrom the prior art that initial activation of carbonaceous precursorswith alkali appears to produce micropores of the pore size hypothesizedas being favorable for methane adsorption, i.e., about 11-12Å width, butnecessary pore volume is not produced and product yield is ofteninadequate. The benefit of employing alkali as a subsequent activationagent is to exploit the merits of different activation agents, whileeliminating adverse effects. In the two-stage H₃ PO₄ /KOH activationprocess disclosed in Ser. No. 143,551, (U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,056) wood isblended with phosphoric acid (1st stage) at an acid to wood ratio offrom about 0.5:1 to about 3:1, preferably from about 1:1 to about 2:1.Next, the blend is heated at carbonization temperatures, and the acid isremoved from the system. The activated product of the first stage thenis chemically activated further by blending with potassium hydroxide ata KOH to char ratio of about 0.5:1 to 4:1, preferably about 1:1 to2.5:1, at higher temperatures (2nd stage) to yield a product suitablefor natural gas storage. The first stage carbonization temperature isfrom about 150° to about 590° C., and the second stage higher activationtemperature is from about 650° to about 980° C. After cooling, thehighly microporous active carbon is washed with water to remove residualpotassium from the carbon and dried. Experience with the parentapplication process has proved that removing potassium from the smallpores of the carbon to a residual level of below 1 wt% was very timeconsuming when using only water. It has been discovered that byincorporating an acid wash step, followed by a pH adjustment step (ifnecessary for specific product end uses), the total wash time wasreduced significantly, while obtaining less than 0.1 wt% residualpotassium. Other improvements also have been discovered which form thepresent invention.

The disclosure of the parent application is incorporated by referenceherein.

Significantly, the improved process of the present invention differsfrom that disclosed in the parent application in that the activatedcarbon precursor material for KOH activation does not have to have beenactivated by phosphoric acid. In fact, the activated precursor can bethe product of another chemical activation agent or the product ofthermal or other activation process. Also, the improved process of thepresent invention differs from that disclosed in the '551 parentapplication in that the activated carbon is not restricted tolignocellulosic material and the second stage activation agent can beselected from alkalies in general. For the purposes of the presentdisclosure, the term "alkali" refers broadly to the hydroxides andcarbonates of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals, as well a thebicarbonate and hydroxide of the radical ammonium and combinationsthereof, but preferably the hydroxides and carbonates of sodium andpotassium and combinations thereof. The activated precursor material forthe alkali activation may also be derived from other thanlignocellulosic material, as noted in an example below.

Nevertheless, the most preferred precursor for the invention process isa wood-based activated carbon such as Westvaco's commercial product,WV-A 1100, which is a product with a pore size distribution tailored tothe capture of evaporative gasoline emissions and produced under H₃ PO₄activation.

Alternatively, other examples of activated carbonaceous materialsuitable for subsequent alkali activation according to the invention arethe high butane working capacity (BWC) carbons (and methods of theirpreparation) reported in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 5,204,310; 5,206,207;5,238,470; and 5,250,491, the disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference. Basically, the invention includes a subsequentalkali activation of activated carbon materials.

ALKALI ACTIVATION

In addition to a broader range of precursor materials and activants, amost significant improvement over the KOH activation step disclosed inSer. No. 551 is the provision of continual material throughput with ashort residence time over the previous time consuming batch thermalactivation stage. A granular WV-A 1100 product is blended with asolution of alkali at a alkali/activated carbon ratio of 0.5:1-5:1 (dryweight basis). The wet blend material is pre-dried in conventionaldrying equipment such as a tray drier, a fluidized bed dryer, a rotarykiln drier, or a blender drier. Drying is effected in a hot gasatmosphere and preferably in a hot inert atmosphere.

The pre-dried, moist carbon (preferably, -10% moisture content) isactivated in a continuous rotary kiln comprising a heated section and acooling section. The heated section is designed to raise the carbontemperature to from about 650-1100° C. for from 5-40 minutes, preferably8-15 minutes. The cooling section, preferably with a N₂ purge, permitsreducing the activated carbon temperature prior to washing.

The cooled activated char, which is alkaline, is washed first with waterto reduce the potassium level, after which the active carbon material iswashed with acid water of a pH of 1.5-5.0 to reduce the potassium levelto less than 0.5%, preferably less than 0.2%, and most preferably lessthan 0.1%. The acid wash is followed by a neutralization cycle with NaOHto bring the pH of the carbon/water suspension up to a pH of 3.0-7.5,preferably 6.5. Finally, a neutral water wash is employed to rinse thecarbon.

After the rinsed carbon is allowed to drain, it is dried. A multi-shelfcart oven may be employed for drying. More detailed embodiments of theinvention process are set forth in the following examples.

EXAMPLE 1

A product of the first stage-phosphoric acid activation, or granular,10×25 mesh WV-A 1100 product, was treated as stated above. It wasblended with a KOH solution at a KOH/C ratio of 1.8:1 (dry basis) in afluidizing blender/dryer and dried for 28 minutes (to achieve the targetmoisture of 10%, wet basis). Because the dried blend was less tacky(versus the process without pre-drying), material yield across thisprocess step increased from 82 to 98% (db), and the earlier need to washout the blender between batches was eliminated.

Thermal treatment of the pre-dried KOH/C blend was carried out under anitrogen atmosphere in an indirect-fired, continuous pilot rotary kiln.Firing of the kiln was maintained throughout the production run, andfeed was continuous with only two interruptions. Kiln rotational speedwas 1.2 rpm, resulting in a residence time of 10 minutes. The nominalfeed rate of dried, alkaline blend was 60 lb/hour. Largely because oflimitations on control of feed screw speed, production rate of(activated) alkaline char varied between about 36 and 46 lb/hour andaveraged 43 lb/hour (db). A total of 6000 lb (db) of KOH/C blend was fedto the activation kiln.

The washing procedure, which extracted potassium salts from the alkalinechar, was carried out in a 220-gallon tank. Each batch of alkaline char(400-500 lb) was washed in about seven hours, which matches activationkiln output at a nominal feed rate of 60 lb/hour. The drying step wascarried out as described previously in a convection drying oven.Properties produced by the process are set forth in the followingtables. Table I shows surface area and pore size distribution data.

                  TABLE I                                                         ______________________________________                                                       SURFACE AREA AND PORE SIZE                                                    DISTRIBUTION OF PRODUCT                                        PRODUCT PROPERTY A      B      C     D    Avg                                 ______________________________________                                        Surface Area (m.sup.2 g.sup.-1)                                                                2368   2372   2366  2352 2365                                Pore Volume (cc/g): < 20Å Width                                                            0.84   0.84   0.86  0.83 0.84                                             < 50Å Width                                                                   1.12   1.12   1.12  1.12 1.12                                            < 1000Å Width                                                                  1.15   1.15   1.14  1.14 1.15                                ______________________________________                                    

The BET nitrogen surface areas of the product averaged 2365 m² g⁻¹.Micropore volume for less than 20Å pore widths averaged 0.84 cc/g, asdetermined using the BJH method of pore size analysis.

Table II describes the methane adsorption properties of the inventionexample products:

                  TABLE II                                                        ______________________________________                                        METHANE CAPACITY DATA                                                                 MWC      MTC     Me.Act                                                                              Density                                                                              Retentivity                             Sample  (v/v)    (v/v)   (wt %)                                                                              (g/cc) (%)                                     ______________________________________                                        E       154      174     18.5  0.532  13                                      F       153      173     18.8  0.518  13                                      G       154      174     17.8  0.553  13                                      H       153      175     18.6  0.533  14                                      I       153      172     18.4  0.527  12                                      J       153      174     19.1  0.512  13                                      K       151      171     18.2  0.530  13                                      L       154      174     18.6  0.528  13                                      M        54      174     19.3  0.505  13                                      N       155      173     19.0  0.513  12                                      O       154      173     19.5  0.500  13                                      Average:                                                                              153      173     18.7  0.523  13                                      ______________________________________                                    

The methane capacity data shown in Table II demonstrate that theinvention process can be tightly controlled to produce consistentproduct. The methane working capacity of the product averaged 153 v/v,meeting the target of 150 v/v. Total capacity averaged 173 v/v; weightactivity averaged 18.7 wt%); methane retentivity averaged 13%; andpacked density averaged 0.523 g/cc).

Table III shows the trace metals levels of the highly microporous carbonproducts.

                  TABLE III                                                       ______________________________________                                                    TRACE                                                                         K                                                                             LEVELS                                                                        (wt %)                                                                   Sample K                                                               ______________________________________                                               E      0.01                                                                   F      0.03                                                                   G      0.01                                                                   H      0.01                                                                   I      0.01                                                                   J      0.01                                                                   K      0.01                                                                   L      0.01                                                                   M      0.01                                                                   N      0.01                                                                   O      0.02                                                                   Average:                                                                             0.01                                                            ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 2

To substantiate the resultant pore size re-distribution as a result ofinvention treatment of the lignocellulosic material, a sample product ofthe disclosed process was analyzed for pore size distribution by theDensity Functional Theory (DFT) using argon adsorption data, a procedureknown to those skilled in the art. The results of the analysis arereported in Table IV.

                  TABLE IV                                                        ______________________________________                                        Pore Width (Å)*                                                                          % of Total (< size)                                            ______________________________________                                        4.1            0.0                                                            4.4            0.7                                                            5.1            10.4                                                           5.9            15.1                                                           6.8            18.6                                                           8.0            27.6                                                           9.3            37.3                                                           10.0           37.8                                                           10.8           43.8                                                           11.7           49.6                                                           12.7           52.6                                                           13.7           56.3                                                           14.7           61.6                                                           15.9           65.7                                                           17.3           71.3                                                           18.6           76.9                                                           20.1           81.9                                                           21.7           86.5                                                           23.4           90.1                                                           25.2           93.0                                                           29.4           96.5                                                           50.4           99.5                                                           100.5          99.8                                                           1004.0         100.0                                                          ______________________________________                                         *Determined by BJH method                                                

These data show that greater than 50% of the total pore volume iscomprised of pores >8Å to 20Å in width (81.9-27.6). Also, the data showthat >80% of the total pore volume is comprised of pores less than 20Åin width. Finally, the data show that >98% of the total pore volume iscomprised of pores less than 50Å in width.

EXAMPLE 3

A commercially available coconut-based activated carbon product G210R,was treated as described in the parent application (Ser. No. '551). Thegranular product was blended with a solution of KOH at a KOH/carbonratio of 2:1 (dry weight basis). The impregnated carbon was loaded intoa stainless steel retort of an indirect-fired rotary kiln. Thetemperature of the bed was increased from near ambient to 1600° F. overa period of 4 hours. An inert atmosphere in the retort was maintained bya flow of nitrogen gas. The free-flowing, granular product was removedfrom the kiln, cooled to an ambient temperature, and washed with waterat 180° F. The product was dried at 230° F. in a convection oven.

The surface area and pore size distribution data for the precursoractivated carbon and the KOH-activated product, respectively, arerecorded in Table V. These data demonstrate that both the surface areaand the volume of very small pores, i.e., <50Å width, are substantiallyincreased as a result of performing a second stage of activation of thecoconut-based activated carbon with KOH.

EXAMPLE 4

A commercially available coal-based activated carbon product, F-400 wasactivated with KOH in a manner similar to that described above inExample 3.

The surface area and pore size distribution data for the precursoractivated carbon and the KOH-activated product, respectively, arerecorded in Table V. These data demonstrate that both the surface areaand the volume of very small pores, i.e., <50Å width, are substantiallyincreased as a result of performing a second stage of activation of thecoal-based activated carbon with KOH.

                  TABLE V                                                         ______________________________________                                                       INFLUENCE OF KOH                                                              ACTIVATION ON PORE                                                            VOLUME OF COCONUT AND                                                         COAL-BASED ACTIVATED                                                          CARBON PRODUCTS                                                               Coconut                                                                       Carbon    Coal Carbon                                                           Pre-            Pre-                                         PRODUCT PROPERTIES                                                                             cursor  Product cursor                                                                              Product                                ______________________________________                                        Surface Area (m.sup.2 g.sup.-1)                                                                1211    1974    991   1528                                   Pore Volume (cc/g)*: <16Å Width                                                            0.36    0.40    0.28  0.32                                                 <20Å Width                                                                   0.47    0.65    0.36  0.49                                                 <50Å Width                                                                   0.57    0.96    0.46  0.74                                                <1000Å Width                                                                  0.59    0.98    0.59  0.87                                   ______________________________________                                         *Determined by BJH method                                                

EXAMPLE 5

A commercially available wood-based activated carbon product, WV-A 1100,was blended with a solution of KOH at a KOH/carbon ratio of 2:1 (dryweight basis). The impregnated carbon was loaded into a stainless steelretort of an indirect-fired rotary kiln. The temperature of the bed wasincreased from near ambient to 1600° F. over a period of 4 hours andheld at 1600° F. for a period of 1 hour. An inert atmosphere in theretort was maintained by a flow of nitrogen gas. The free-flowing,granular product was removed from the kiln, cooled to ambienttemperature, and washed with water at 180° F. The product was dried at230° F. in a convection oven.

The surface area and pore size distribution data for the precursoractivated carbon and the KOH-activated product, respectively, arerecorded in Table VI. These date demonstrate that the volume of verysmall pores, i.e., <50Å width, is substantially increased as a result ofperforming a second stage of activation of the wood-based activatedcarbon with KOH. In particular, the micropore volume, i.e., <20Å width,is greatly increased by almost 150%.

EXAMPLE 6

A commercially available wood-based activated carbon produce WV-A 1100,was blended with a solution of NaOH at a NaOH/carbon ratio of 2:1 (dryweight basis). The impregnated carbon was loaded into a stainless steelretort of an indirect-fired rotary kiln. The temperature of the bed wasincreased from near ambient to 1600° F. over a period of 4 hours. Aninert atmosphere in the retort was maintained by a flow of nitrogen gas.The free-flowing, granular product was removed from the kiln, cooled toambient temperature, and washed with water at 180° F. in a convectionoven.

The surface area and pore size distribution data for the precursoractivated carbon and the NaOH-activated product, respectively, arerecorded in Table VI. These data demonstrate that volume of very smallpores, i.e., <50Å width, is substantially increased as a result ofperforming a second stage of activation of the wood-based activatedcarbon with NaOH.

                  TABLE VI                                                        ______________________________________                                                       INFLUENCE OF KOH AND                                                          NaOH ACTIVATION,                                                              RESPECTIVELY, ON PORE                                                         VOLUME OF WOOD-BASED                                                          ACTIVATED CARBON                                                              KOH       NaOH                                                                  Pre-            Pre-                                         PRODUCT PROPERTIES                                                                             cursor  Product cursor                                                                              Product                                ______________________________________                                        Surface Area (m.sup.2 g.sup.-1)                                                                2294    2312    1556  1917                                   Pore Volume (cc/g)*: <16Å Width                                                            0.13    0.62    0.06  0.28                                                 <20Å Width                                                                   0.38    0.91    0.19  0.54                                                 <50Å Width                                                                   1.24    1.07    0.87  0.94                                                <1000Å Width                                                                  1.59    1.09    1.20  0.98                                   ______________________________________                                         *Determined by BJH method                                                

It is noteworthy also that the granular nature of the precursoressentially is preserved by using the process described herein. This isin marked contrast to the KOH activation processes as previouslydescribed in reference to U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,694, U.S. Pat. No.5,064,805, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,889 for the KOH-activation ofcarbonaceous precursors, which produce a low density, small particlesize product that is difficult to handle, both during processing and inuse.

Subsequent activation with KOH of lignocellulose-base, phosphoric acidcarbonized/activated carbons also reduced the total residual phosphatecontent of the carbons. Although this effect was not surprising, themagnitude of the reduction was startling and, indeed, unexpected. Thetotal residual phosphate content of the carbon was reduced from 5.3% to0.01%. To place this finding in perspective, the lowest total residualphosphate content previously known to be obtained by washing andthermally post-treating a wood-based carbon was about 0.5%. Bearing inmind that some of the surface oxides of wood-based carbons areassociated with the residual phosphate content of the carbon, thesurface chemistry of the KOH-activated carbon may be significantlydifferent from that of the lignocellulose-based carbon activated withphosphoric acid alone. For example, the carbon should be morehydrophobic (less polar), which in itself could favor methaneadsorptions

In summary, subsequent activation of activated an carbon material withKOH at high temperature shifts the pore size distribution of the carbonto a range favorable for methane adsorption. The micropore volume of thecarbon is greatly enhanced to a level not previously obtained. In theexamples cited here, this generally resulted in a deliverable gasstorage capacity of ≧150 v/v at 500 psi. The granular nature of theprecursor is retained following activation with KOH.

While the invention has been described and illustrated herein byreferences to various specific materials, procedures and examples, it isunderstood that the invention is not restricted to the particularmaterials, combination of materials, and procedures selected for thatpurpose. Numerous variations of such details can be employed, as will beappreciated by those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for the manufacture of highlymicroporous activated carbon comprising the steps of forming a wet blendof an activated carbon material and an alkali solution at a ratio offrom 0.5:1 to 5:1, on a dry weight basis, pre-drying the wet blend to amoisture content of below about 25%, heat treating the blend at fromabout 650° to about 1100° C., and acid washing and drying themicroporous activated carbon product.
 2. The process of claim 1 whereinthe ratio of alkali solution to activated carbon material in the blendis from 1:1 to 3:1, the alkali solution is selected from the groupconsisting of potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassiumcarbonate, and sodium carbonate, and the heat treatment is conducted atfrom about 650° to about 980° C., wherein greater than 50% of the totalpore volume of the highly microporous activated carbon is comprised ofpores of less than 16Å in width, greater than 70% of the total porevolume of the highly microporous activated carbon is comprised of poresof less than 20Å in width, and greater than 98% of the total pore volumeof the highly microporous activated carbon is comprised of pores of lessthan 50Å in width.
 3. The process of claim 2 wherein the activatedcarbon material is derived from a material selected from the groupconsisting of coal and lignocellulose material.
 4. The process of claim3 wherein the lignocellulosic material is selected from a member of thegroup consisting of wood chips, sawdust, wood flour, and coconut shelland the alkali solution is selected from the group consisting ofpotassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide.
 5. The process of claim 1wherein the acid washing step includes recovery of alkali from thealkali solution for use in forming the wet blend.
 6. The process ofclaim 4 wherein the alkali solution is potassium hydroxide and greaterthan 70% of the total pore volume of the highly microporous activatedcarbon product is comprised of pores of less than 20Å in width andgreater than 95% of the total pore volume of the highly microporousactivated carbon product is comprised of pores of less than 50Å inwidth.
 7. The process of claim 6 wherein greater than 50% of the totalpore volume of the highly microporous activated carbon product iscomprised of pores of less than 16Å in width, and greater than 98% ofthe total pore volume of the highly microporous activated carbon productis comprised of pores of less than 50Å in width.